


Cassarian One Shots

by A_Deity



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, BDSM, Cassarian Month 2020 (Disney), F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Knifeplay, Prison Sex, Shameless Smut, Smut, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:28:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26615977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Deity/pseuds/A_Deity
Summary: Cassarian One Shots!Requests Accepted!FluffAngstSmutEtc.
Relationships: Cassandra/Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Cassandra/Varian (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 87
Kudos: 42





	1. A Date

**Author's Note:**

> MODERN AU : Cassandra is the daughter of a top rank Police officer, and the best friend of Rapunzel, whose father is the Mayor of the town. Varian is Eugene's cousin, and has been living in Corona for some months now. (Literally all of my Modern AU is going to have him as Eugene's cousin, because I stan Team Awesome and why not.) Varian is 21, and Cassandra is 29.

A little backdrop to the story:

Rapuzel had slowly started to notice how uncomfortable Varian would get near Cassandra. At first Rapunzel thought that it was because he was scared of Cassandra, her piercing gaze from her expressionless, sharp eyes, which was enough to send a chill down the spine of even the strongest person. But no, as Rapunzel started observing her friend's behaviour more and more, she was proved otherwise. Varian loved Cassandra. He would intently listen to her conversations, he would involuntarily smile when she smiled and laughed, and he rolled his eyes when Eugene called her an Ice lady, or other such nicknames that he had come up for her.   
Speaking of nicknames, Varian even started calling her Cassie, the last to do so was Andrew, with whom Cass had a terrible breakup. She forbade anyone to call her by that nickname, but there was something in the sparkling blue eyes of the boy, in his voice, that she had relented, just to him. Rapunzel tried her best to notice how Cassandra behaved when she was with Varian, but her expression was too stoic to be noticed by Rapunzel what she had been feeling. Rapunzel almost came to the conclusion of Varian's love for Cassandra being hopeless, if it hadn't been for one particular occasion :

They were hanging out in their favourite Cafe, the Snuggly Duckling, as always. Cassandra was sitting beside Varian, while Rapunzel was sitting in front of her and beside her boyfriend Eugene. They were playing Truth and Dare, and it was Cassandra's turn.

"Dare." She said.

"Ah. Finally got a chance to be even with you, Ice lady." Eugene smirked.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Do what you wanna do, I am not backing down." Eugene's look was enough to let her know that he was challenging her, and Cassandra was the one who could never resist a challenge.

"Well...." He closed his one eye and put a finger on his chin, expressing a mock thoughtful look. Suddenly he jerked up, and grinned at her. "What you say about joining me and Rapunzel in the couple dance happening over there?" Eugene said, pointing at the dance happening in front of him. Cassandra turned her head to see what he was indicating at, and then looked at Eugene with a raised eyebrow. She had never, ever danced in front of them, or anyone, and suddenly she felt insecure about it. "Hey, you shouldn't do if you dont want to, but that would mean backing down." Though Eugene said the the first half sincerely, the second half was more mocking. And this annoyed Cassandra to no end.

"I never said I didn't want to. But who will I dance with?" 

"Well, we have Varian!" Eugene said, looking admiringly at his cousin, who suddenly jerked his head up, looked at Eugene with wide eyes, as a whole shade of covered his cheeks. 

Rapunzel, who knew what was up with the poor boy, looked at him sympathetically, and touched Eugene's shoulder as she spoke, "Eugene, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course Sunshine, it will be great to see how the Ice Lady is going to perform. Only, if she wants to win the game." Eugene winked in her direction, and Cassandra gritted her teeth.

"Oh, you are so going to regret this." Cassandra looked angrily at Eugene, who already was leading his girlfriend to the dance floor. She grabbed Varian's hand without even looking at him, and lead him to the dance floor. Cassandra put her hands on his shoulder, and Varian shyly put his arms around her waist. "Varian, you know how to dance, right?"

"Aaah.... yes Cassie!," he blurted out, as he tightened his grip on Cassandra's waist. She sighed and they slowly started to match their steps to the rhythms of the music. They were slow, but soon caught up with everyone's rhythms, and Cassandra began to enjoy herself. She smiled and laughed, and Varian looked at her in amazement, as he had rarely heard her so. It seemed to be the best moment of his life, and he wanted to keep it that way itself. He fell in love with her a little more, and painted a mental portrait of her laughing. She looked wonderful, and the fact that it was he who made her laugh, even though his presence in it was in the tiniest bit, made his his heart flutter with joy. He forgot everything, to him it was only her, and the music seemed to be fading away. The music slowly came to an end, though Varian felt that it was too abrupt. Cassandra may not have noticed earlier how close she was to him, and when the music stopped, and she came to her senses, she noticed how his hands were tightly wrapped around her waist, how his whole body was pressed against her, that she blushed with the sudden impulse crossing her body. And this reaction couldn't go unnoticed by the few people in the Cafe who knew the girl.

"Is it just me or did the Ice Lady blushed?" Eugene asked his girlfriend, wide - eyed.

"No no, she blushed, I am sure of it." Rapunzel said, a happy smile crossing her face. She was worried about her friend's love for Cassandra, that how his heart would break if she didn't reciprocate his love, but now that tension left her body, and relief flooded in.

Varian looked at her shocked. He loved her, and he knew that she didn't, and he was okay with that, as long as nothing happened to their friendship. He was 100% sure that Cassandra didn't love him, and he had already made up his mind to be happy in whatever decision she made, but Cassandra blushing? The day might've been crazy, but not so much that he could handle this new information. Cassandra quickly looked away from him, so that he didn't notice the blush, but she was too late for that. She then slowly detached herself from his arms, and looked at him, and said him a quite,"Thank you." And that was where he lost himself.

Present Time (5 days later) :

"Sunshine, are you okay?" Eugene asked his girlfriend, whose brows were furrowed and was staring out of her window.

"Yes Eugene. It's just, I've been thinking about something..."

"What?" Eugene sat near her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Eugene, you remember the last time we went to The Snuggly Duckling?"

"When we were playing Truth and Dare? Ah yes Sunshine, but---" 

He didn't have time to finish, as Rapunzel cut him off in mid sentence,"You dared Cass to dance with Varian there. And do you remember how close they were, and how she blushed after the dance?"

"Yes, yes Rapunzel, I do remember it. After all, i saw her like that for the first time in my life!"

"And do you know what does this mean?"

"Uh... no? What?"

"Cass is in love!"

"Whoa whoa Sunshine, calm down! You are saying that the Ice Lady is in love with Varian? I mean, yes, he is my cousin, and he is attractive, but... Cass? In love? This idea is alien to me. Don't you think you are rushing into things?"

"Eugene, no! I perfectly know what I am saying! I know Cass, she maybe too stoic, but she can't lie forever! She never blushed, even when she was going out with Andrew!"

Eugene sighed. He knew his girlfriend. If she made up her mind about something, she wouldn't backdown, come what may. It was just useless to argue with her, so he decided to give in. "What do you want, Sunshine?" 

"Oh, I know what we want," Rapunzel exclaimed happily, "A date!!" 

"And how are you going to set that up?" 

"Just wait and watch." She gave Eugene a grin and winked, and he knew that his girlfriend will not fail.

A day later:

"Hey Varian! Where have you been these days?" Eugene asked him, once he entered in his lab. "We last met at the Snuggly Duckling. Are you ok?"

At the mention of Snuggly Duckling, Varian's face turned a whole new shade of red, and he wished that his cousin didn't notice it. Yes, he was in his lab, working, trying to keep his distracted mind in place after the incident. He had remembered, how she had smiled and laughed, how close they were, how his body was against her, how her hot scorching breath felt against his neck, and most importantly, how she had blushed. "Um... yeah... I am fine, it's just... you know... there was some important work that I had."

"Well buddy, you've been cooped up in here for God knows how long. It's time you take a break. Snuggly Duckling, 7:30 pm. Don't you dare miss." He said, patting him on his shoulders, marched out, without even giving the poor boy a chance to answer. 

"Well, I guess I'd rather not miss it." He sighed and continued his work.

"Hey Cass!" Rapunzel knocked at her door. 

"Raps? Is everything ok?" She raised an eyebrow as she let her friend in and provided her a place to sit.

"Everything is just fine." Rapunzel said, sitting down on the sofa, and continued, "It's been awhile since we have hung out. So, I thought why not today, since you are mostly free on weekends."

"But Raps... "

"No buts! Cass, please?" Rapunzel looked at her, and smiled.

"Ugh. Fine."

"7:30 pm, at the Snuggly Duckling." She said smiling as she got up, and went to the door. "Bye, see you! Don't be late!" And she went out.

Cassandra sighed and rolled her eyes.

7:30 pm. Snuggly Duckling :

With Eugene and Rapunzel :

"Sunshine, are you sure that they will come?" Eugene asked Rapunzel glancing at the table that they had reserved for them from their hiding place. 

"Of course Eugene!" Her eyes sparked with joy. 

Eugene sighed happily at the moment, looking at her. She was so beautiful, his Rapunzel. He gently took her hand in his and kissed the back of it, and looked into her eyes and said, "What would I ever do without you?"

Rapunzel blushed and smiled at him, "Oh Eugene!" Suddenly her eyes slid to the table, and Rapunzel silently screamed, "Eugene look! It's Cass!"

"Aah well, I was expecting her to be the first one." He rolled his eyes. "After all, She is Cass, the one with all the "discipline and punctuality" in the world." He indicated the double quotes in air.

With Cassandra :

She looked at the table where they almost everyday used to sit, and saw that it was reserved, and had a beautiful bouquet at the centre. She started to turn away from there when something suddenly caught her attention. It was a note on the table, with her name on it. She raised an eyebrow as she picked up the note and started reading it :

Cass, I know you'll probably kill me after this, but before you do anything, I plead you, please, to give it a try. Varian loves you a lot, I've observed him, and from what I saw the last time that we were here, I know you love him too. Not all boys are idiots like Andrew. Please, give him a chance, he deserves it, and he deserves your love. 

Love, Rapunzel.

Her confused expression turned to a horrified one, and as she looked up from the note, she was ready to face anyone but him, standing in front of her, reading a note which was probably meant for him, with a confused expression. She wanted so badly to run, but it seemed like her leg was glued to the ground, unable to move. It was not until Varian looked up from the note to her, with the expression of the most confused person in the world, that she came to her senses. She glanced at the note, looked away, no more able look at him, and muttered, "Rapunzel. Oh, she's sooo dead." And she turned away. But suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist and turn her towards him.

"Cassie..." He breathed. "You know, actually, this would do no harm."

"Are you in this too?" Her sharp gaze was ready to pierce him.

"What? No no! I didn't know a thing about what Rapunzel and Eugene were upto, until I read this note. But as I say, this wouldn't do us any harm." And he pulled out a chair for her to sit. 

She skeptically looked at him, but sat down.

"Well... heh. This is awkward." He smiled awkwardly as he sat down.

"It ought to be." She replied as she rolled her eyes. "When your friend sets up a date for you without your knowledge."

He looked at her, and immediately felt guilty of making her feel so uncomfortable. He wanted to provide her all the love, comfort and warmth when he was near her, not to make her uncomfortable. Although he wasn't really good in striking a normal conversation, he decided to give it a try. "Eugene once said that Rapunzel locked you and him up in a room one time because you two were getting on her nerves."

Cassandra looked at him and let out a small chuckle at the memory. "Well, yes. He took one of my guns without my permission to pose for a photo. And I was so angry with him that I was ready to tear him apart. Raps tried to calm us down, but to no avail. Ultimately, she decided that the best thing for us to reconcile was to lock us in a room. And trust me, it did work out. We both apologised to each other, him for taking my things without my permission, and me for being too angry with him. And the funniest part was that she tricked me the same way that time as she did now."   
That was it. It reminded Cassandra of the position she was in, and she became silent once again. Uncomfortable silence once again hung between them.

The uncomfortable silence started killing Varian. He decided to sort the matter out then and there itself. He spoke up, "Cassie, hey, I don't want to make you feel so uncomfortable. Trust me, that's the last thing I want." 

She sighed and looked at him, and then at the note she was still holding in her hand.   
Varian loves you a lot...Please, give him a chance, he deserves it, he deserves your love.  
She read it over and over again. Should she? She was so broken when she found out that she was being cheated on. She had sworn to herself that it was the first and the last time she would ever love. She had cried her eyes out, and at that time there was no one to comfort her except Rapunzel. And now Rapunzel herself is suggesting her to go out with Varian. But Varian is different. He would not hurt her, he would not break her, would he? She asked to herself. She felt confused, but at the same time knew deep down what her heart said. 

As Cassandra sat considering her decisions, Varian looked at her, broken. The silence in the air seemed to give him a wrong message, and he got up from his seat, and muttered softly, yet sadly, "I guess I'd better go." And started to leave, but a hand grabbed his hand, and confused, he looked up to find himself staring into the two tearful beloved eyes which he had long loved. 

"Don't go, please?" She whispered, enough for him to hear.

"Cassie..." He sat down, and with his other hand, lightly squeezed hers. 

She looked at their hands, interwined with each other, and slowly said, "Varian, do you... do you really love me?"

"Oh Cassie, you don't really know how much I love you. I love you so much that I can't bear to see you even in a bit of pain, and it feels that I've completed one of the greatest tasks if I make you smile or laugh. Whenever you laugh, it sounds like music to my ears, which I can play it on repeat without ever getting bored of it. I just... I just cannot describe how much I love you, Cassie."

"Oh Varian!" She cried, got up and threw herself in his arms. She sobbed, not caring who saw her. The comforting arm that stroked her back reminded her that he would be always there for her, no matter what. She looked up him and smiled as he wiped her tears away. "Shhh.., Cassie. I would say that you don't look good when you cry, but you too beautiful for me to say this. So, don't cry, please?" He looked at her, smiling.

"Oh, you are such a dork." She let out a chuckle, and kissed his cheek. 

"Cassie..." Was all that he could utter as he put his hands on his cheeks. The girl of his dreams kissed him. Never in his wildest dreams he thought that it'd happen in reality, but here he was, sitting on a couch, with Cassandra in his arms, and she had just pressed a kiss on his cheek. Before he knew it, he felt Cassandra pulling him towards the dance floor.

"Come on, this is going to be fun!" Was all that he could hear her say, and she was the only thing that he could see. He let her lead the way, and soon they were on the dance floor, with the rest of the couples. She danced. She danced with him. This time is was not a dare, she is doing this willingly. She is doing this because she wanted to. And the smile, or the laughter on her face is not forced, or is not marked by tension, but there is something carefree in it. Something that's different from the Cassandra he knew, yet a part of her. The music got over soon, but the two of them stood in the same position, feeling each other's bodies against them, and smiled, regardless of the blush covering their faces. She looked up at him, and he, smiled down at her. Slowly, his hands moved from her waist to to her face, and he brought his forehead towards her, "Oh, Cassie, how much I love you..." He whispered against her. 

"Don't." She said, putting her finger to his mouth to stop him from speaking, "I don't need to know." She smiled, as she leaned upwards, towards his face. He brought his face down, gently touched his lips with hers, and kissed. He gently bit her lip, due to which she gave out soft moan, and opened her mouth. He slid his tongue in her mouth, and she answered him, slowly, but gently. No one wanted to part, but the lack of oxygen forced them to. At that moment, he cursed his need to breath. He looked at her, she was smiling at him, softly, and he couldn't help but melt. Oh, how much he loved her, he would never be tell her, but he knew that she didn't have to know.

With Eugene and Rapunzel :

"See, Eugene? I told you! She loved him! And they look so good together!" Rapunzel smiled, her face delighted. 

"Well Sunshine, I don't really know how you did that, but I must say, I am proud to have a girlfriend like you." He smiled, looking at her.

"Oh, Eugene!" She looked at him, smiling, and without hesitating a moment more, kissed him. 


	2. An Awkward Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU : Cassandra is the daughter of a top rank Police officer, and the best friend of Rapunzel, whose father is the Mayor of the town. Varian is Eugene's cousin, and has been living in Corona for some months now. (Literally all of my Modern AU is going to have him as Eugene's cousin, because I stan Team Awesome and why not.) Varian is 21, and Cassandra is 29. This situation takes place a month after the first chapter takes place. This is a collection of one shots, and the fact that they are chronologically related is just pure co - incidence.

"Rapunzel, no. I know you want the best for me, but I really don't want a big party or something like that." Varian said, sighing. "For me, you guys are enough." He said, and took Cassandra's hand in his, and squeezed it gently, smiling softly at her.

They had been sitting together, at the Snuggly Duckling, and had been talking about Varian's birthday, which was the day after tomorrow. As much as Rapunzel wanted to plan everything in advance and do it in the most grandiose way possible, Cassandra had stopped her, telling her not to rush into things. She wasn't particularly excited with her friend's idea of throwing a surprise party for him, as she knew that Varian was not game for it. Then, at the last moment, Rapunzel had relented, but when the group was hanging out in the Snuggly Duckling, she once again decided to bring up the matter, this time turning her attention to Varian instead of his girlfriend. 

"Buddy, are you sure? It's your 22nd birthday. Don't you want to go wild or so?" Eugene said, casually.

Cassandra glared at Eugene, "Fitzherjerk, dont you dare spoil him."

"Hey, come on, I was just...." but receiving another glare, this time from his girlfriend, he stopped.

Varian chuckled, "Come on guys, I know it'll be the best birthday ever, because you all will be there. This is all I want."

"Ok Varian, if that's what you want." Rapunzel said, all too cheerfully.

The Next Day :

With Eugene and Rapunzel, Afternoon :

"Hey Sunshine," Eugene, while whisking the batter, turned his to face to Rapunzel, who had been vigorously flipping through some pages of a recipe book, "Are you sure that we will be able to bake such a big cake so soon? I mean, don't you think that it's too...hypothetical and exhausting at the same time?" 

"Come on Eugene! I really want to make Varian's birthday memorable by adding a personal touch to it. I can understand when he said that he doesn't want a big party or a lot of people, and that our mere presence is enough for him, but that doesn't mean that we can't have blast! Trust me, this is going to be his best birthday ever!"

Eugene sighed and looked at his girlfriend. She is always so optimistic and cheerful, with a smile on her face, and never loses her cool. Speaking of losing cool...  
"Where is the Ice Lady? I thought she'd be joining us?"

"Oh, I dont know. Last night I asked her if she'd be joining us in baking a cake for him, but she told me that she has to find a perfect gift for Varian."

"I see. You know, never my wildest dreams I had thought that hey would get together. I mean, look at them!"

"I know, right? And the most amazing thing is that it wasn't until I noticed them together that night, that I realised that they are made for each other. Else, all the time I had been fearing that his love for her is hopeless, and in vain."

"You know Sunshine, I think you should be thanking me, because if it hadn't been for the dare I gave, none of this would have happened." 

"Oh, and how do you wish me to thank you?" She grinned mischievously.

"How about a kiss?"

"You don't need to ask." And with these words she threw her arms around Eugene and kissed him.

The Day of Varian's Birthday :

With Cassandra, Morning :

"Where on the earth did I keep it?" Cassandra mumbled angrily as she fidgeted through her wardrobe. It's been a month, or more since she and Varian had been dating, and she was enjoying every single moment of it. Soon, she found what she had been looking for, and took it out. It was a box, covered in a simple and neat gift wrap. She smiled softly looking at it, and ran her fingers through it. It's his first birthday with her, and she wanted to gift him something truly special, that'll forever remind him of her. She put it carefully in her bag, and headed out in her car, wearing the most casual dress which can be worn on a day of celebration. 

It wasn't a long ride, and soon she reached his house. She pressed the bell and waited for him, and soon the door opened.

"Hey Varian. Happy Birthday!" She winked.

He stood as if he was in a stupor, looking at her, so amazing, so perfect, so lovely.

"Varian, are you ok?" Cassandra said, with some notes of concern in her voice, putting her bag down on the doorway.

"Oh god, Cassie..." and before she knew, he took her in his arms and pushed her against the wall and kissed her. She melted against him, and he gently bit her lip, due to which she gave out a soft moan, which he grew to love every second. He slid his tongue in her mouth, and she started to answer him, her hands gently running over his body, and going up to his shoulders and squeezed it tightly. He pressed his body against her, trying to show her how much he loves her, and that he wants more, and she understands, but she suddenly pushes him away. He looked at her, with the most disappointed expression which one can give, though respecting her boundaries, and decisions. 

"Come on, you wouldn't want Raps and your annoying cousin see us in this position." She smiled, and softly patted him on his shoulders.

"Sorry, it's just... you know, it still feels unrealistic that you are with me, and you love me. I always thought that you are way out of my league, that you'll never be mine, but here you are, standing in front of me, looking at me in the same way I have always looked at you, and smiling at me in the softest way possible. Cassie, it....it still feels like a dream, a dream that has come true."

"Hey, you know, it's a dream come true for me too. It always felt weird to me, when Raps would talk about Fitzherjerk, telling me how much he loved her, and she loved him, and she would say that I'd know when I'd find the one. I'd always scoff at the idea, but look, here I am. I never believed that I'd find someone like you, the one who would love me truly, who'd look at me with those love struck eyes with which you are looking at me now, and say the words which you are saying to me now. You don't know Varian, how much these words mean to me." 

He came near her again, and gently holding both of her hands with his, said, "I know, Cassie, I know." And smiling, he touched his forehead with hers.

"Come on, don't you want to open your gift? I spent so much time searching for it."

"You shouldn't have. You being near me is the best gift of my life."

Cassandra chuckled. "Maybe. But I doubt that you would be hardly able to contain your excitement after seeing this." And she picked up the bag she had carelessly left near the doorway, after their sudden outburst of passion. Making her way to the couch, she sat, and Varian sat beside her. Cassandra took out the packet which she had been searching earlier in her wardrobe and smiling at Varian, gave it to him. 

He took the packet from her hands and opened it. Inside it was a box containing lots of test tubes, some books of Chemistry, and a set of new goggles and gloves. He sat there amazed, looking at it, and slowly turned his head to Cassandra, who was smirking at him.

"Well, the last time I had come here, I saw your worn out goggles and gloves. So I decided that I'd gift you a new pair, along with some test tubes and books of Chemistry. You wouldn't believe how much time it had taken for me to find this gift for you."  
He gently put away the box, and tightly hugged her. "Hey, come---- Varian, are you crying?"  
His body racked with sobs, and Cassandra suddenly, and instinctively put her arms around him. She was never good with the comfort thing, and didn't know what to do. She tried to do what her instinct told her, and thus, stroking him, whispered, "Hey, Varian, you shouldn't be crying on your birthday. Is everything all right?"

"Cassie...Oh Cassie," He said, breaking away from her hug and wiping a drop of tear running down his face, "I am so sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I.... I never really had someone who would think of me so much. Dad was there, but he had always been caught up in his work. And it's been a while, heh, I suppose, since I had a real birthday with people bringing gifts for me."

"Oh Varian." Looking at him, Cassandra felt a sudden surge of affection arising in her. She reached out to him, and brushing away some hair from his face, pulled him towards her, for a kiss. Their lips met, and it seemed that at that moment instant their souls connected. He laid her down on the couch, and his hands trailed down to her waist, and as he hugged her tightly, he broke away from her lips, only to find himself biting the soft flesh of her collarbones, and then liking them, as if to ease he pain. Her hands caressed his back, and soft, low gasps and moans escaped from her lips, and this terribly turned him on. He slowly started to move his lips a bit more down, a little above her chest, and...

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF----"  
A loud voice suddenly awakened them from from their blissful moment, and opening her eyes, Cassandra suddenly, and much to her horror realised where the voice came from and belonged to who. She mentally took note to kill him, but noticing the sudden guilty expression on her boyfriend's face, decided to put it off to sometime later. There were much more important things to deal with at this moment. 

Varian suddenly climbed out of the couch, away from her, and whispering unintelligible apologies to Cassandra, turned to face, not only his cousin, but also Rapunzel. While Eugene had a look of horror, disgust, surprise, and God know how many emotions on his face, Rapunzel shifted awkwardly, blushing, her heads down, concentrating on her fingers, and nervously wringing them. Varian looked down, mentally cursing himself, for not being able to keep his emotions in check, and forgetting what Cassandra had warned him about long ago. Speaking of Cassandra, he turned his head to look at her, expecting her sharp, angry eyes staring at him, ready to tear him down. He ruined it, and he promised that he'll never be able to forgive himself for that. But instead of that, he found her eyes, looking at him, with emotion he which deduced as sympathy. Why should she look at him like that? Didn't he ruined everything, by not heeding to her instructions? But before he could progress further in his thoughts Rapunzel's soft voice flooded in the seemingly quite atmosphere. 

"Happy Birthday, Varian." She looked at him nervously, and tried to smile.

"I... uh.... Thanks." He smiled awkwardly, and his eyes diverted to Eugene. His expression was bit softened, but he still glared at his cousin.

"If you two were planning to do this, then at least, you could've closed the door." He rolled his eyes. 

"Sorry Eugene, I...I.... got carried away. Cassie had warned me but I----"

"Varian, it was us." Cassandra got up and placed a hand on his shoulders. 

"But---"

"No buts. It was us. And we are sorry for that." She looked at him, pressing his shoulders gently.

"We are sorry." And he sighed dejectedly. 

"Hey, it's ok, awkward and weird moments happen with us too." Eugene laughed, trying to diffuse the situation. "Happy Birthday, Varian." He smiled.

And Varian knew that the smile was not forced. He looked at Eugene, and smiling, said, "Thank you, Eugene." 

Seeing the situation being diffused, Rapunzel happily chimed in, "Who's ready for some treats?" 

"I am." Cassandra smiled, showing him that nothing has changed between them because of the incident, and pressed a quick kiss on his cheeks. 

He looked at her, all ready to drown in her gaze once again, when Rapunzels' voice brought him out of his stupor.

"Cass, can you help me with this cake?"

"Sure, I am coming." And Cassandra went out to help Rapunzel and Eugene in bringing the cake.

Later that night :

Rapunzel, Eugene, Varian and Cassandra were in the dining hall, enjoying some drinks. However, after sometime, Varian retired from there and went to his balcony to get some fresh air. Cassandra noticing this, decided to follow him and talk to him about what happened in the morning, as they hadn't yet talked about it, and she was pretty sure that he still blamed himself for that.

"Hey." She looked at him.

"Hey." His voice was much drier than she'd expected it to be.

"Varian, stop blaming yourself for what happened in the morning."

He looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Don't you even think of lying. Your face says it all, Varian." She said, coming nearer to him.

"No, I can't, Cassie. As much as I'd like to forget, I can't. It was my fault. I... I should've listened to you in the first place itself."

"And you did. It was me who started that, remember?"

"Yes, but----"

"Varian, stop blaming yourself. And when I say that nothing has changed between us, I mean it. Sure, it was an awkward moment, but trust me," her voice dropping to a whisper as she came nearer to him, "It was worth it." And she pressed a quick kiss on his lips and smiled.

And for the first time that day after that incident, Varian smiled, in peace.


	3. Vamparian AU

DEDICATED TO TREE, WHO HAS BEEN KIND ENOUGH TO DEDICATE HER AMAZING VAMPARIAN ART TO ME (THE ONE DOWN BELOW). SHE IS ONE OF THE BEST AND MOST AMAZING FRIENDS I COULD'VE EVER ASKED FOR, AND I LOVE HER, AND I LOVE YOU TOO, FELLOW CASSARIAN SHIPPERS!

WARNING - SLIGHTLY EROTIC KISSING SCENE AND HEAVY ANGST

THERE ARE SOME DIALOGUES TAKEN FROM THE SHOW AND I HAVE UNDERLINED THEM.

Vamparian AU - This is an AU where the Sundrop (in the form of a flower) and the Moonstone (in the form of a stone) existed peacefully together, them being the sign of peace between Humans and Vampires. The Sundrop, representative of Humans, had healing qualities (thus used by Gothel to keep herself forever young), while the Moonstone, representative of Vampires, had destructive qualities. Although the leaders of both the sides were warned not to disturb this force, the King of Humans, King Frederick had taken the Sundrop as a desperate measure to save his wife, Queen Arianna's life, who was then pregnant with their daughter, later named as Rapunzel. 

After that everything is just as it happened in the Tangled movie - Rapunzel having the magical healing golden hair, being kidnapped by Gothel, and meeting Eugene. 

Let me specify that there is no connection between Cassandra and Gothel, and there is no Dark kingdom and no Brotherhood, and thus, Eugene is not the dark prince. All these things instead have been replaced by Vampires. Also, there is no Demanitus or Zhan Tiri, and Rapunzel doesn't know anything about the Moonstone.

The Moonstone's destructive quality here is not the rocks. Instead, it is a totally different thing about which you will learn pretty soon...

Varian (20) is heir to the guild of Vampires, led by his father Quirin, who has attacked the Kingdom of Corona, and Cassandra (28) is the closest confidante to Rapunzel (24). She, along with Rapunzel and her fiancee Eugene (30) have somehow escaped from the Castle and are out in the forest. Rapunzel has twisted her ankles and therefore, is having difficulty in walking. While Eugene supports her, Cassandra is in front of them, with a crossbow in her hand, guiding them, and looking out for any danger. Suddenly, the bushes move, and a young Vampire, with a streak of blue in his hair and blue eyes comes out...

Cassandra immediately raised her crossbow, and gritting her teeth, aimed it at him. He immediately stepped back, with his hands in the air, an awkward grin plastered on his face, trying to show her that he meant no harm.

I... I am sorry, I didn't - mean to...." eyes darted nervously around, as if he was trying to avoid any type of eye-contact with the one who was standing in front of him.

Cassandra raised her eyebrows as she lowered the crossbow a bit. "Who are you, and what do you want?" She asked, narrowing her eyebrows a bit.

"I - I am Varian." Then suddenly, his eyes fell upon Rapunzel, who was leaning on Eugene for support. "Wait, what's with your leg? Are you ok?" He asked, eyes filled with concern.

"Well, I have twisted my ankle a bit..." Rapunzel replied

"I know how to heal a twisted ankle! Let me..." But before he could continue, he was cut off by Cassandra.

"Aren't vampires supposed to bite and drink blood? Why are you even helping us? Tell me, what are you plotting?" She asked irritably.

"Hey! I am not plotting anything! Let's just say that I am a bit different from them..."

"Oh, and how is it so?" She asked, raising her one eyebrow up in confusion and annoyance as she crossed her arms above her chest.

"Well, unlike the others, my mother was a human. So, I have inherited some human qualities and feelings from her. I also look a lot different from them, you can see that." 

Yes, he looked different from the other vampires, Cassandra noted. Not only did he have bright blue eyes unlike other vampires, there was a a streak of blue in his hair. She wondered what it meant. 

"Who is your mother?" Rapunzel chimed in, curiously. 

"Well... I'd rather not talk about. But first tell me, who are you all? I told you lot about myself and I don't even know your names!"

"I am Rapunzel," said the ever optimistic princess enthusiastically , "This is Eugene," she said gesturing to her fiance, "And this is Cass!", and then to Cassandra.

"Wait, Rapunzel? As in the princess?" He froze.

"Uhh... yes? How did you know?" Rapunzel asked, confused.

"Let's say that it's a bit of a long story. Maybe we can talk about this in a place where it is safer, and after I have had healed your ankle." He said, a bit of unlikely bitterness in his voice.

"There is a cave nearby, and it's the safest place we can be at this point of time." Cassandra said, impatiently.

"Great, then! Follow us!" Rapunzel gestured to him.

They had arrived in the cave, and after comfortably sitting Rapunzel down, Eugene stood beside Cassandra, while Varian sat in front of her, and taking her leg in his hands, twisted it right to left, with sharp, yet gentle movements. Rapunzel gave out a small yelp, due to the sudden pain coursing through her leg, but soon it died down, and her leg was much better than before.

"There you go." He looked at her with a small and gentle smile.

"Wow, thanks a lot!" Rapunzel looked at him, smiling gratefully.

"Wait, how did you do that?" Cassandra asked, wide - eyed, clearly taken aback, and impressed and by the recent display.

"My mother taught me..." His voice dropped, tones of sadness visible in his voice.

Rapunzel looked at him sympathetically, "Oh, I am so sorry..."

"It's ok, I have learnt to live with that. But there is something really important that, you need to know and I have to tell you, Princess. Do you remember the story of how your father took the Sundrop in order to save you and your mother?"

" Yes, but that was a long way back. What does it have to do now?"

"Let's just say princess that you know only the half of the story. There were not one, but rather, two stones. One of which was the Sundrop, which your father used to save you and your mother's life, and the other was the Moonstone, which is generally known to bring destruction. The Sundrop and the Moonstone existed harmoniously together balancing good and evil on the both sides. However, after your father took away the Sundrop, the ancient forces of evil powers started building up in the Moonstone, and after slowly consuming all the good traits of our guild, now has spread it's evil effects within us. Since all this is happening because your father, 'The King of the humans' has unbalanced the harmony between us, you all are being attacked. However, me and my father have not been affected by it because my mother was a human, and there is a special force from Moonstone which protects us from it."

"Wait, is that special force a reason for your blue eyes and that streak?" Cassandra asked, curiously.

"Yes. But my father doesn't have anything like that in his hair or eyes. Instead, there is a mark, which appears on the hands all the vampires who are the descendants of the moon, when they swear to protect their Guild. It blocks all the negative forces, so that whenever there is a situation like this, the leader can take a rational decision in a calm phase of mind and stop that disaster. However, it's my because of my mother's power and sacrifice that I am not like them."

To say that Rapunzel was bewildered after hearing this was an understatement. She looked at him and opened her mouth to say something but was quickly cut off by him.

"Wait princess, there is a bit more to it. Not only is your father accused of stealing the Sundrop and unbalancing the force which has led to the mass murder of thousands of innocent people, he, in a fit of selfishness became a cause of death of his own sister, my mother." This time, there was rage in his eyes, and fire burning in his soul. "You don't know, Princess, how much we have suffered just because of your father's selfish pursuits."

At that, Cassandra dropped her crossbow, which created a loud noise in the deafening silence of the forest. Eugene looked at her in concern, while Cassandra's eyes shifted from the sobbing princess to the rage filled eyes of the Vampire.

"I... I... am so sorry... I never knew..." she said between her sobs. 

"It's fine, it's not your fault, I get it." Was that a sneer? Cassandra was sure about it, however it seemed like Rapunzel didnt get it. She looked up at him and smiled softly, tears still visible in her eyes . 

"So, the king had a sister and he never told us about it?" A confused Eugene asked. 

"I guess it was because she got married to someone way out of her league." Cassandra said, thoughtfully.

"And why would she do that? I mean, marry a vampire?" Rapunzel asked. 

Cassandra shrugged, but Varian promptly responded, "Love. She loved my dad."

"Oh Varian, I am so sorry." Rapunzel gave him a sympathetic look. 

"What actually bothers me is that how did your mother die and how was that King Frederick's fault?" Eugene looked at Varian.

Varian's eyes darkened for a moment that went unnoticed by everyone except for Cassandra. It almost sent shivers down her spine. "You see princess, my mother became the bridge between the humans and the vampires the day she chose my father to be her husband. Special powers were bestowed upon her, but it was too much for her mortal being to handle it. So the power of the Sundrop and the Moonstone together was needed to keep her health and the entire forces in check. But when your mother, Her Majesty became sick when she was pregnant with you, your father, despite knowing the consequences, took away the Sundrop to heal his wife. The first few years she was able to deal with the powers, but after my birth her health became worse and she was thus condemned to a slow and painful death. Your father, Princess, might be a great father, but not a great king."

"Whoa, that's one bit of a back story, Sunshine." Eugene said, his eyes widened, looking at Rapunzel, while she look down and sadly played with her fingers.

"I am so sorry, Varian, I never meant anything like that to happen.... I didn't even know that ----"

"That how much we have suffered because of your father? No princess, you wouldn't know our suffering." He retorted, and this infuriated Cassandra to no end. 

"Why don't you kill us, since you hate us so much?" Cassandra asked, a bit irritated, crossing her arms above her chest.

He looked at her and narrowed his eyes,"Not all problems are solved by killing people or taking away something they have truly loved."

"And how do you think this problem is supposed to be solved?"

"I don't know, but I have been told that the only way to reverse this curse is to make a sacrifice before the the sun rises."

"What kind of sacrifice?" 

"That I don't know, but I am pretty much sure that the honour of my guild rests upon me, and I am willing to go to any extreme to uphold it."

Cassandra couldn't help but feel at tingling sense of familiarity in his voice... He sounded so much like her. Before she could respond, however, Varian spoke again,"But we don't have enough time. There is very little time left for the sun to rise, and soon the whole Corona as well as my Guild will fall into destruction. I need to talk to my father urgently. As far as I know, he is in the castle, and he must be knowing more. Please stay here and make sure that you are well hidden and not caught by any one of them." And he prepared to leave.

"Wait." Cassandra stopped him. "You won't be able to find the way to the castle all by yourself. Let me show you the way." And after a quick nod to Rapunzel and Eugene, she motioned him to follow her. 

It was dark, but the incandescent light of the full moon illuminated their path. The sky was clear, but stars weren't visible. A day ago Cassandra had no idea that the whole of Corona would be danger, and that too because of the king she highly revered. Continuing her path, she started to ponder over how everything has changed so suddenly. She remembered how a few hours back there had been an emergency alarm suddenly ringing in the whole of Corona, declaring that 'unholy creatures' have attacked, and asking people to flee from their homes as far as they could. Though the guards were caught unawares, they managed to distract most of the vampires away from the castle, thus giving the occupants some time to run. Her father had taken the responsibility of the King and the Queen, making sure they reached to safety. Speaking of her father, she wondered where he would be right now. She silently prayed that he was safe, that nothing had happened to him. When the alarm sounded, Cassandra had immediately grabbed her crossbow, and without giving a second thought to herself or her father ran towards Rapunzel's room. Her main concern was the safety of her best friend and her fiancee. Of course she and Eugene would bicker with each other all the time, but deep inside she knew both of them deeply cared for each other. As Eugene would put it, 'Cassandra was like a sister to him, with a lot of annoying traits.' She never realised how much she wanted to throw a jibe at Eugene, until now. She smiled at those memories. But soon her trail of thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind her. 

"Have you ever wondered what it would have been like if the king has not taken the Sundrop, Cassie?" Varian asked her.

Cassandra turned around to look at him, and rolling her eyes, said, "It's Cass, not Cassie." And then, with a smirk on her face, said, "You really hate the king, don't you?"

He rolled his eyes, "You won't understand. Your mother wasn't killed by the king."

Cassandra stilled, and averted her gaze.

Expecting a jibe and not sudden silence, Varian looked at her in shock to see her staring into the distance, eyes seeming lost. "Cassie, hey, are you ok?" He tried to speak to her in the softest voice possible.

"Yes." She turned back, with a stoic expression on her face, and started to go ahead when he suddenly grabbed her wrist. She turned to look at him, eyebrows narowwed, and an inquiring look on her face.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He said, a bit awkwardly, letting go of her hand. but soon he caught a serious tone and continued,"I just meant to make you understand how much I, my father and our Guild had to suffer, and is still suffering. I was not meaning it to come out like that." 

"It's fine, it doesn't matter." She snapped, "We just need to reach to the castle and your father in time."

Varian sighed heavily. Although she was from the other side, and served the King he truly despised, he didn't want to see her upset. He tried again, this time more softly, "Listen, I don't know what you've been going through, but I guess that if you, maybe talk to me about it, I would try and help you to get you out of it."

Cassandra sighed. She didn't know why, but she felt that she should tell him about her worries and what she has been feeling... It seemed like he would understand her, and would be able help her cope with it. She never ever opened up to anyone just like that, let alone Rapunzel. Man, it had taken so much effort from Rapunzel's side to make Cass more of a friend than a lady - in - waiting. Cassandra shrugged at those happy memories, reminding herself of the condition all of them were in at this time. She decided to listen to her instincts and open up to him. Looking down, she said, "You know, I am pretty scared, not just for the princess or the people of Corona, but for my dad. He is the Captain of guards, and has taken the responsibility of the safety of the King and the Queen. I am afraid that---"

"That for the sake of the King and the Queen, he might sacrifice his life." He completed her sentence, and looked at her, the moonlight accentuating her beautiful features and pale skin, and he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. She looked up at him, and that's where his heart melted. Stormy hazel - green eyes, in which there was rage before, now had quiet calmness and sadness, and he suddenly wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her, stroke her hair and her back, feel her against himself--- 

"Yes. I am afraid." Pulling him out of his reverie, Cassandra said. "I dont know where he is, or what has happened to him, and the thought scares me every single moment..." Pausing for a while, she continued, "I don't know why I felt like I should open upto you or that you'll understand me, but---" She trailed off.

"But?" He asked her, feeling both excited and curious.

"But I am happy that I trusted myself." She gave him a soft smile and turned back, leaving Varian in a pleasant shock, and he smiled to himself, and started following her once again.

"You know, even I don't have a mother, and the Captain of the guards is not even my real father." Cassandra said, off handedly.

Her sudden confession shocked him. "What!?"

"I don't even remember my real parents." She said, tones of sadness visible in her voice. "But it's ok, you know, that fact doesn't even bother me. I am glad that I have a father, who loves me and cares for me, though he doesn't show it consistently." 

He looked up at her, smile growing wide on his face every second, when he caught that last part,"Wait wait. You mean that you have dad problems too?" Noticing what he had just said, he suddenly retracked, "Not that I have dad problems--- I - I mean--- We get along well, pretty well--- uhh..."

Looking at him, Cassandra couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his behaviour, which she classified it being somewhere between adorable and a dork. As for Varian, he stilled, listening to her laugh for the first time, and he knew that he won't forget that anytime soon. And he was sure that this 'soon' will never come.

"Yeah, I do have dad problems." She said to him, after a little while. "I want to be a part of the guards too, but his standards for me are higher than they are for anyone else. Her mirthful tone got lost, and she turned away from him, looking a bit dejected.

"Hey, it's ok." He said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You know, my dad too worries a lot about me. He feels that I am too young, naive and trusting for the world." And letting out a quite chuckle, he said, "Dads, am I right?" 

Cassandra looked at him, and smiled warmly at him. For the first time she didn't mind someone touching her, or putting a hand on her shoulder, ever if that violated her most desired personal space. But before anything could happen, there was a good above Cassandra, and backing a few steps away from him, she looked up. "Owl!" And reaching her hand up for him, she said, "Where have you been? Is dad alright?"  
Owl perched up on her finger, and as she brought her hand down he gave her a hoot, and and flapped his wings. Then suddenly he flew up, and hooted in the direction of the sea. And Cass knew that it was good news. She smiled at him in gratitude, and as he turned to fly away from her, she waved him goodbye.  
This action did not go unnoticed by the observer standing beside, who was smiling, looking at the exchange. He didn't know what was happening with him, but he knew that it was something wonderful, since it felt so good.  
"Hey, what are you looking at?" Cassandra asked him, once again pulling him out of his daydream.

"Huh what? Nothing! Umm... you know, just wondering how is your dad..." and he gave her an awkward grin. 

Cassandra rolled her eyes, playfully, and replied, "He's fine. The King and Queen have safely boarded the ship along with him. That means they will be travelling to Vardaros and will be staying there until this all ends." Sighing deeply, she continued, "Both the King and the Queen are very protective of their daughter. They would be so much disappointed to know that she is not there."

Varian let out a sarcastic laugh and said, "It's always about the princess, isn't it?"

"Hey, its not like that. You may not be knowing, but the princess has had her share of troubles too because of the magical Sundrop. It's healing power was transferred in her hair, which could be revoked by singing a special song. Because if this, she was kidnapped and locked up in a tower by a witch, who wanted to stay young forever, for 17 years. The King and The Queen spent 17 years searching for her, and sending out lanterns every year on her birthday, in the hope that one day she would return home. And she did return." Cassandra told him, in a quiet voice.

He looked away from her, pondering over what Cassandra had just told him. He still hated the King, but after what Cassandra told, he couldn't help but feel pity for the Princess. Now, he wasn't even sure that the King ever had been a great father or not. Looking at her back again, he whispered a quite sorry and looked down. Cassandra smiled, and said, "Hey come on, we need to reach the castle soon. We have to find your father." And she turned to lead him the way.

"Yeah." He said and started to follow her.

*********************

The way to the Castle hadn't been too long, but to them it felt like ages. Cassandra had swiftly and sharply dodged the vampires to enter into the Castle, and Varian had followed her. They had just one tunnel to go through, and that was not a hard job for Cassandra who had spent most of her time training and running through the castle tunnels. She was thankful to her early training, because of which she could not only help herself get into the Castle through the tunnel, but also Varian. But the sudden voices and footsteps coming from around the corner caught her off guard, and she froze. Even before she knew it, she was pressed against the wall, and Varian reached down to her neck, and gently pressed his two fangs on her collarbone. At first, Cassandra thought that he was actually trying to bite and drink her blood, and tried to wriggle away from his grasp, but his had a strong grip on her, and she too stopped as soon as she realised that this was just an imitation and he was trying to save her. Moments after the vampires had passed by them, he looked up at her, and confused green eyes met the concerned blue eyes, and she could feel how his hands were resting on her waists, and how his body was pressed against her, and it felt too good. Too good to pull away.

As for Varian, he had partly feared that she would kill him outright for scaring her in order to save her, but he had no other choice. However, as he looked up at her, his inner conflicts faded, and all that he could see was her eyes, which were looking at him, and he was ready to drown in them. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned down, and pressing his lips against hers, compassionately kissed her. It was a pleasant surprise for him when she responded back, slowly running her hands over his chest, resting it on his shoulders, and giving it a gentle squeeze. He smoothly pulled her towards himself, holding her closer, his hands gripping her waist firmly, yet gently. Moments later he pulled away from her, albeit unwillingly, due to the lack of air between them. 

Cassandra looked away from him, and nervously biting her lips whispered, "We - we need to find your father soon. We don't have enough time." Putting her hand on his chest, she slowly pushed him back, and turning away from him, she went forward, without even casting a single glance at him.  
She hadn't been expecting her stomach to do flip - flops when he had kissed her, and sensing a sudden surge of whole new sort of feelings in her, she felt confused. Although she knew what these feelings entailed, thanks to Rapunzel's incessant chatter about her love for Eugene, she felt quite sceptical about it, and needed some time to process it. Thus she decided not to speak about it and keep this all to herself, as she had always done.

Varian looked at her in shock, but quietly accompanied her, mentally cursing himself for the state they were in currently. She had finally started to open up to him, see him as a friend, and he ruined everything in a matter of seconds. Oh, how he wished to go back in time and change everything, wanting to see that soft smile on her face when she looked at him, and to hear that quiet laugh when he had unsuccessfully tried to cover up his 'troubled relation' with his dad. And now, sickening silence reigned in the atmosphere. Then a thought hit him. Didn't Cassandra kiss him back? Why didn't she pull away if she was offended? He badly wanted to talk to her about it, and soon realised that he could no longer keep quiet. Taking a deep breath in, he called out to her, "Cassie, we need to talk."

Cassandra stilled in fear, completely sensing what he wanted to talk about. Not daring to look at him she turned her head to other side as he came near her. 

Varian didn't want to petrify her. Therefore, he decided to approach the issue as softly as possible. "Cassie, this doesn't look like something one should run away from."

Cassandra didn't speak. She knew that he was right, and she hated that fact. She badly wanted to tell him that she knew that this kiss was not just an adrenaline rush, and that there was something more to it, that it was something passionate. But unfortunately, she had never been been good in feelings. While she had a war going on between her head and heart, Varian spoke up.

Not receiving any reaction from her side, Varian decided that the best thing to do was to be honest and confess his love for her. He badly wanted her to know how much he loves her, and how much she means to him, and thus, without wasting another moment, he said, trying to sound braver than he was at the moment., "Cassie, I... I love you."

"What!?" She turned swiftly, looking at him with confusion written all over her face. She couldn't believe he just confessed, and this worsened her misery even more.

At that moment, Varian felt his mock brave demeanour ebbing away, but still, trying to hold to his words, he (tried) again, "I love you, Cassandra."

Cassandra was aghast. His sudden confession only made things worse for her. As much as wanted that to happen, she was too scared about her feelings to let him know anything. Deciding that the best thing she should do at the moment was to turn him away, she said, "Varian, it...it doesn't happen like that."

"What are you talking about?" He looked at her, heartbrokenly.

"Varian, you can't fall in love just like that! We... we recently met!" She looked at him again, a stoic expression on her face but thousands of negative emotions raging in her.

"But---" He tried again.

Cassandra shook her head, with determination, "No, Varian, It's not love, it's... it's just infatuation." And turned away from him, so that the tears that were threatening to spill out would not be noticed by him. 

Sighing sadly and dejectedly, Varian started to follow her receding figure. Why wouldn't she believe him when he told her that he loved her? Why had she dismissed his love for her as an infatuation, and taking it seriously. Was it because he was a vampire, and not a human? He recalled how she had earlier suggested that maybe the King had cut off ties with his sister because she had married a vampire instead of a human. Speaking of his mother, he started to remember the last few moments that he had spent with his mother by her bedside. Even in pain a small smile never left her face, and it always worked as a charm whenever Varian used to feel dejected. He remembered the time when she had told him how she felt an instant connection with his father the moment she had first seen him. And Varian knew that it was the same connection that he felt when he first saw Cassandra. He knew that she was his true love, but unfortunately, he couldn't do anything but accompany her with a sorrowful look.

********************

As Cassandra and Varian entered the throne room, they were greeted by the sight of a middle - aged man, pacing nervously in the middle of the room.  
"My dad." Varian whispered to her, despite the air of awkwardness that had been prevailing between them.  
"Dad!" Varian called out to him, coming forward, a nervous smile on his face. 

"Varian! Where have you been? I was so worried about you!" His tone had hints of nervousness and tension in them.

"I am fine, dad. I want you to meet someone." Varian said, stepping away, revealing Cassandra to him.

Quirin expression changed from nervousness to an inquisitive look, as he looked at Cassandra. He then turned to his son for more explanation.

"This is Cassandra, dad, and she is the daughter of the Captain of guards. She is here to help us in ending the curse."

"And why should we trust her?" Quirin asked, raising his eyebrows skeptically while looking at her. 

"Sir." Cassandra said, with notes of authority and respect in her voice, "Your Guild has attacked the Kingdom of Corona, and is bent upon destroying it by killing innocent people. You've no other option other than to trust me. We need to hurry up, there is not much time left for the sun to rise up." 

"And how far are you ready to go to save the everyone?"

"I am ready to cross all the limits, Sir."

Quirin looked at Cassandra, surprised. "You are saying that you are willing to end the curse, at any cost?"

"Yes, Sir." Cassandra lifted up her head proudly.

Takimg a deep breath in, Quirin said,"Cassandra, this curse is not a joke. And since you think that you are ready, I'll tell you the only way to end the curse. And it is a sacrifice. Sacrifice of your life, and nothing else will save us, and if you are willing, then so be it."

Cassandra's eyes widened, while Varian's breath hitched. Sacrifice of a life? And that too of Cassandra's? No, he can't let that happen. He decided to speak up, "What do you mean, dad? There is no other option but to sacrifice a life? It - It can't be true. There might be other a.ternatives too, you know."

"No Varian. There is no other alternative. Don't you think that if there had been, we would not have tried?"

Not believing his ears, Varian's looked from the dejected face of his father to the expressionless face of Cassandra, who, all that time had been mentally debating with herself on what to do. Although she didn't want to die, there was no other option left. If she sacrificed her life for the Corona, she would atleast achieve glory among the people and pride in her father's heart. Sighing, Cassandra looked at Quirin, "I will do it."

"Cassandra, what on the earth you think you are doing?" Varian looked at her in shock.

"Varian, I am sure enough about what I am going to do."

"Cassie please, think again." Varian's voice could be classified as nothing but desperate.

"I have already made a decision, Varian." Her voice was cold, "And I don't want you to come after me thinking that you'll be able to change my mind." Cassandra snapped, and turned away from him.

Varian could no longer take it, and he stormed out of the room, not stopping until he reached a corner. He flopped down, his body trembling with his sobs, and slowly, his shaky hands reached for his pocket, from where he took out a small paper, on which was a messy sketch of a woman, smiling softly. It was all that he had of his mother, and breaking down, he put it close to his heart. Oh, how much he craved for her presence! It wasn't like Quirin wasn't a good father. He was. He loved Varian, yes, but he rarely showed it. But sometimes, Quirin would be a bit harsh with him, and not the gentle kind which Varian needed, at least at that point of time. If his mother had been here, she would've taken him in her arms, and with a comforting hand on his back, would be stroking his back, trying to provide him all the comfort, love and warmth which always had emanated from her. Varian tried to remember those how that would've been feeling, but sadly, such touch and sensations were long forgotten. And that's when Varian realised that he would not be able to cope with death of a woman he loved so much. He decided that he will not let his Cassie sacrifice her life for the kingdom and the guild, and he knew how he would be able to save her.

*****************

Outside the castle gates :

Cassandra stood in front of a guillotine, her head held high, while the executioner was standing behind her. Another set of instructions, and then it would be the end. Cassandra wasn't afraid, no, she was proud. The only thing that she regretted was not being able to tell Varian what she truly felt. Speaking of Varian, he was no where to be seen. Where was he? Her desperate eyes were craving for one last look, but life never guarantees the fact that all wishes should be fulfilled. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the executioner's command, but before another word could've been spoken, a painfully familiar voice rang out.

"Stop!" 

Cassandra opened her eyes to find Varian looking at her, with determination on his face. Before she could react, he spoke again.

"She will not be executed!"

"Varian!" Cassandra said, looking at him, "I think I told you to leave me alone."

"No Cassie. I can't just sit here and watch you die. Maybe you don't love me, maybe you think that my love for you is just an infatuation, but that does not undermine my love for you in any way. I love you, Cassandra. And I want to prove to you that my love for you has no limits." 

Cassandra thought that this was the only moment left for her to tell him the truth and that how much she loved him, but before she could say anything, He spoke up again.

"I, by the faith and power of moonstone, propose my life for you!"

Cassandra stunned, as the words hung in air between them.

The executioner turned her away, while Cassandra's stray gaze never leaving his determined one. She wasn't able to speak, and as she came into her senses, all that she could see was Varian bending down, positioning his head directly under the blade, and the executioner released the blade. 

"NOOOO!!!" Cassandra fell down to her knees, as a painful realisation hit her. 

She never told him that she loved him back, and she would have to live the rest of her life with that.

I... I am sorry, I didn't - mean to...." eyes darted nervously around, as if he was trying to avoid any type of eye-contact with the one who was standing in front of him.

Cassandra raised her eyebrows as she lowered the crossbow a bit. "Who are you, and what do you want?" She asked, narrowing her eyebrows a bit.

"I - I am Varian." Then suddenly, his eyes fell upon Rapunzel, who was leaning on Eugene for support. "Wait, what's with your leg? Are you ok?" He asked, eyes filled with concern.

"Well, I have twisted my ankle a bit..." Rapunzel replied

"I know how to heal a twisted ankle! Let me..." But before he could continue, he was cut off by Cassandra.

"Aren't vampires supposed to bite and drink blood? Why are you even helping us? Tell me, what are you plotting?" She asked irritably.

"Hey! I am not plotting anything! Let's just say that I am a bit different from them..."

"Oh, and how is it so?" She asked, raising her one eyebrow up in confusion and annoyance as she crossed her arms above her chest.

"Well, unlike the others, my mother was a human. So, I have inherited some human qualities and feelings from her. I also look a lot different from them, you can see that." 

Yes, he looked different from the other vampires, Cassandra noted. Not only did he have bright blue eyes unlike other vampires, there was a a streak of blue in his hair. She wondered what it meant. 

"Who is your mother?" Rapunzel chimed in, curiously. 

"Well... I'd rather not talk about. But first tell me, who are you all? I told you lot about myself and I don't even know your names!"

"I am Rapunzel," said the ever optimistic princess enthusiastically , "This is Eugene," she said gesturing to her fiance, "And this is Cass!", and then to Cassandra.

"Wait, Rapunzel? As in the princess?" He froze.

"Uhh... yes? How did you know?" Rapunzel asked, confused.

"Let's say that it's a bit of a long story. Maybe we can talk about this in a place where it is safer, and after I have had healed your ankle." He said, a bit of unlikely bitterness in his voice.

"There is a cave nearby, and it's the safest place we can be at this point of time." Cassandra said, impatiently.

"Great, then! Follow us!" Rapunzel gestured to him.

They had arrived in the cave, and after comfortably sitting Rapunzel down, Eugene stood beside Cassandra, while Varian sat in front of her, and taking her leg in his hands, twisted it right to left, with sharp, yet gentle movements. Rapunzel gave out a small yelp, due to the sudden pain coursing through her leg, but soon it died down, and her leg was much better than before.

"There you go." He looked at her with a small and gentle smile.

"Wow, thanks a lot!" Rapunzel looked at him, smiling gratefully.

"Wait, how did you do that?" Cassandra asked, wide - eyed, clearly taken aback, and impressed and by the recent display.

"My mother taught me..." His voice dropped, tones of sadness visible in his voice.

Rapunzel looked at him sympathetically, "Oh, I am so sorry..."

"It's ok, I have learnt to live with that. But there is something really important that, you need to know and I have to tell you, Princess. Do you remember the story of how your father took the Sundrop in order to save you and your mother?"

" Yes, but that was a long way back. What does it have to do now?"

"Let's just say princess that you know only the half of the story. There were not one, but rather, two stones. One of which was the Sundrop, which your father used to save you and your mother's life, and the other was the Moonstone, which is generally known to bring destruction. The Sundrop and the Moonstone existed harmoniously together balancing good and evil on the both sides. However, after your father took away the Sundrop, the ancient forces of evil powers started building up in the Moonstone, and after slowly consuming all the good traits of our guild, now has spread it's evil effects within us. Since all this is happening because your father, 'The King of the humans' has unbalanced the harmony between us, you all are being attacked. However, me and my father have not been affected by it because my mother was a human, and there is a special force from Moonstone which protects us from it."

"Wait, is that special force a reason for your blue eyes and that streak?" Cassandra asked, curiously.

"Yes. But my father doesn't have anything like that in his hair or eyes. Instead, there is a mark, which appears on the hands all the vampires who are the descendants of the moon, when they swear to protect their Guild. It blocks all the negative forces, so that whenever there is a situation like this, the leader can take a rational decision in a calm phase of mind and stop that disaster. However, it's my because of my mother's power and sacrifice that I am not like them."

To say that Rapunzel was bewildered after hearing this was an understatement. She looked at him and opened her mouth to say something but was quickly cut off by him.

"Wait princess, there is a bit more to it. Not only is your father accused of stealing the Sundrop and unbalancing the force which has led to the mass murder of thousands of innocent people, he, in a fit of selfishness became a cause of death of his own sister, my mother." This time, there was rage in his eyes, and fire burning in his soul. "You don't know, Princess, how much we have suffered just because of your father's selfish pursuits."

At that, Cassandra dropped her crossbow, which created a loud noise in the deafening silence of the forest. Eugene looked at her in concern, while Cassandra's eyes shifted from the sobbing princess to the rage filled eyes of the Vampire.

"I... I... am so sorry... I never knew..." she said between her sobs. 

"It's fine, it's not your fault, I get it." Was that a sneer? Cassandra was sure about it, however it seemed like Rapunzel didnt get it. She looked up at him and smiled softly, tears still visible in her eyes . 

"So, the king had a sister and he never told us about it?" A confused Eugene asked. 

"I guess it was because she got married to someone way out of her league." Cassandra said, thoughtfully.

"And why would she do that? I mean, marry a vampire?" Rapunzel asked. 

Cassandra shrugged, but Varian promptly responded, "Love. She loved my dad."

"Oh Varian, I am so sorry." Rapunzel gave him a sympathetic look. 

"What actually bothers me is that how did your mother die and how was that King Frederick's fault?" Eugene looked at Varian.

Varian's eyes darkened for a moment that went unnoticed by everyone except for Cassandra. It almost sent shivers down her spine. "You see princess, my mother became the bridge between the humans and the vampires the day she chose my father to be her husband. Special powers were bestowed upon her, but it was too much for her mortal being to handle it. So the power of the Sundrop and the Moonstone together was needed to keep her health and the entire forces in check. But when your mother, Her Majesty became sick when she was pregnant with you, your father, despite knowing the consequences, took away the Sundrop to heal his wife. The first few years she was able to deal with the powers, but after my birth her health became worse and she was thus condemned to a slow and painful death. Your father, Princess, might be a great father, but not a great king."

"Whoa, that's one bit of a back story, Sunshine." Eugene said, his eyes widened, looking at Rapunzel, while she look down and sadly played with her fingers.

"I am so sorry, Varian, I never meant anything like that to happen.... I didn't even know that ----"

"That how much we have suffered because of your father? No princess, you wouldn't know our suffering." He retorted, and this infuriated Cassandra to no end. 

"Why don't you kill us, since you hate us so much?" Cassandra asked, a bit irritated, crossing her arms above her chest.

He looked at her and narrowed his eyes,"Not all problems are solved by killing people or taking away something they have truly loved."

"And how do you think this problem is supposed to be solved?"

"I don't know, but I have been told that the only way to reverse this curse is to make a sacrifice before the the sun rises."

"What kind of sacrifice?" 

"That I don't know, but I am pretty much sure that the honour of my guild rests upon me, and I am willing to go to any extreme to uphold it."

Cassandra couldn't help but feel at tingling sense of familiarity in his voice... He sounded so much like her. Before she could respond, however, Varian spoke again,"But we don't have enough time. There is very little time left for the sun to rise, and soon the whole Corona as well as my Guild will fall into destruction. I need to talk to my father urgently. As far as I know, he is in the castle, and he must be knowing more. Please stay here and make sure that you are well hidden and not caught by any one of them." And he prepared to leave.

"Wait." Cassandra stopped him. "You won't be able to find the way to the castle all by yourself. Let me show you the way." And after a quick nod to Rapunzel and Eugene, she motioned him to follow her. 

It was dark, but the incandescent light of the full moon illuminated their path. The sky was clear, but stars weren't visible. A day ago Cassandra had no idea that the whole of Corona would be danger, and that too because of the king she highly revered. Continuing her path, she started to ponder over how everything has changed so suddenly. She remembered how a few hours back there had been an emergency alarm suddenly ringing in the whole of Corona, declaring that 'unholy creatures' have attacked, and asking people to flee from their homes as far as they could. Though the guards were caught unawares, they managed to distract most of the vampires away from the castle, thus giving the occupants some time to run. Her father had taken the responsibility of the King and the Queen, making sure they reached to safety. Speaking of her father, she wondered where he would be right now. She silently prayed that he was safe, that nothing had happened to him. When the alarm sounded, Cassandra had immediately grabbed her crossbow, and without giving a second thought to herself or her father ran towards Rapunzel's room. Her main concern was the safety of her best friend and her fiancee. Of course she and Eugene would bicker with each other all the time, but deep inside she knew both of them deeply cared for each other. As Eugene would put it, 'Cassandra was like a sister to him, with a lot of annoying traits.' She never realised how much she wanted to throw a jibe at Eugene, until now. She smiled at those memories. But soon her trail of thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind her. 

"Have you ever wondered what it would have been like if the king has not taken the Sundrop, Cassie?" Varian asked her.

Cassandra turned around to look at him, and rolling her eyes, said, "It's Cass, not Cassie." And then, with a smirk on her face, said, "You really hate the king, don't you?"

He rolled his eyes, "You won't understand. Your mother wasn't killed by the king."

Cassandra stilled, and averted her gaze.

Expecting a jibe and not sudden silence, Varian looked at her in shock to see her staring into the distance, eyes seeming lost. "Cassie, hey, are you ok?" He tried to speak to her in the softest voice possible.

"Yes." She turned back, with a stoic expression on her face, and started to go ahead when he suddenly grabbed her wrist. She turned to look at him, eyebrows narowwed, and an inquiring look on her face.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He said, a bit awkwardly, letting go of her hand. but soon he caught a serious tone and continued,"I just meant to make you understand how much I, my father and our Guild had to suffer, and is still suffering. I was not meaning it to come out like that." 

"It's fine, it doesn't matter." She snapped, "We just need to reach to the castle and your father in time."

Varian sighed heavily. Although she was from the other side, and served the King he truly despised, he didn't want to see her upset. He tried again, this time more softly, "Listen, I don't know what you've been going through, but I guess that if you, maybe talk to me about it, I would try and help you to get you out of it."

Cassandra sighed. She didn't know why, but she felt that she should tell him about her worries and what she has been feeling... It seemed like he would understand her, and would be able help her cope with it. She never ever opened up to anyone just like that, let alone Rapunzel. Man, it had taken so much effort from Rapunzel's side to make Cass more of a friend than a lady - in - waiting. Cassandra shrugged at those happy memories, reminding herself of the condition all of them were in at this time. She decided to listen to her instincts and open up to him. Looking down, she said, "You know, I am pretty scared, not just for the princess or the people of Corona, but for my dad. He is the Captain of guards, and has taken the responsibility of the safety of the King and the Queen. I am afraid that---"

"That for the sake of the King and the Queen, he might sacrifice his life." He completed her sentence, and looked at her, the moonlight accentuating her beautiful features and pale skin, and he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. She looked up at him, and that's where his heart melted. Stormy hazel - green eyes, in which there was rage before, now had quiet calmness and sadness, and he suddenly wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her, stroke her hair and her back, feel her against himself--- 

"Yes. I am afraid." Pulling him out of his reverie, Cassandra said. "I dont know where he is, or what has happened to him, and the thought scares me every single moment..." Pausing for a while, she continued, "I don't know why I felt like I should open upto you or that you'll understand me, but---" She trailed off.

"But?" He asked her, feeling both excited and curious.

"But I am happy that I trusted myself." She gave him a soft smile and turned back, leaving Varian in a pleasant shock, and he smiled to himself, and started following her once again.

"You know, even I don't have a mother, and the Captain of the guards is not even my real father." Cassandra said, off handedly.

Her sudden confession shocked him. "What!?"

"I don't even remember my real parents." She said, tones of sadness visible in her voice. "But it's ok, you know, that fact doesn't even bother me. I am glad that I have a father, who loves me and cares for me, though he doesn't show it consistently." 

He looked up at her, smile growing wide on his face every second, when he caught that last part,"Wait wait. You mean that you have dad problems too?" Noticing what he had just said, he suddenly retracked, "Not that I have dad problems--- I - I mean--- We get along well, pretty well--- uhh..."

Looking at him, Cassandra couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his behaviour, which she classified it being somewhere between adorable and a dork. As for Varian, he stilled, listening to her laugh for the first time, and he knew that he won't forget that anytime soon. And he was sure that this 'soon' will never come.

"Yeah, I do have dad problems." She said to him, after a little while. "I want to be a part of the guards too, but his standards for me are higher than they are for anyone else. Her mirthful tone got lost, and she turned away from him, looking a bit dejected.

"Hey, it's ok." He said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You know, my dad too worries a lot about me. He feels that I am too young, naive and trusting for the world." And letting out a quite chuckle, he said, "Dads, am I right?" 

Cassandra looked at him, and smiled warmly at him. For the first time she didn't mind someone touching her, or putting a hand on her shoulder, ever if that violated her most desired personal space. But before anything could happen, there was a good above Cassandra, and backing a few steps away from him, she looked up. "Owl!" And reaching her hand up for him, she said, "Where have you been? Is dad alright?"  
Owl perched up on her finger, and as she brought her hand down he gave her a hoot, and and flapped his wings. Then suddenly he flew up, and hooted in the direction of the sea. And Cass knew that it was good news. She smiled at him in gratitude, and as he turned to fly away from her, she waved him goodbye.  
This action did not go unnoticed by the observer standing beside, who was smiling, looking at the exchange. He didn't know what was happening with him, but he knew that it was something wonderful, since it felt so good.  
"Hey, what are you looking at?" Cassandra asked him, once again pulling him out of his daydream.

"Huh what? Nothing! Umm... you know, just wondering how is your dad..." and he gave her an awkward grin. 

Cassandra rolled her eyes, playfully, and replied, "He's fine. The King and Queen have safely boarded the ship along with him. That means they will be travelling to Vardaros and will be staying there until this all ends." Sighing deeply, she continued, "Both the King and the Queen are very protective of their daughter. They would be so much disappointed to know that she is not there."

Varian let out a sarcastic laugh and said, "It's always about the princess, isn't it?"

"Hey, its not like that. You may not be knowing, but the princess has had her share of troubles too because of the magical Sundrop. It's healing power was transferred in her hair, which could be revoked by singing a special song. Because if this, she was kidnapped and locked up in a tower by a witch, who wanted to stay young forever, for 17 years. The King and The Queen spent 17 years searching for her, and sending out lanterns every year on her birthday, in the hope that one day she would return home. And she did return." Cassandra told him, in a quiet voice.

He looked away from her, pondering over what Cassandra had just told him. He still hated the King, but after what Cassandra told, he couldn't help but feel pity for the Princess. Now, he wasn't even sure that the King ever had been a great father or not. Looking at her back again, he whispered a quite sorry and looked down. Cassandra smiled, and said, "Hey come on, we need to reach the castle soon. We have to find your father." And she turned to lead him the way.

"Yeah." He said and started to follow her.

*********************

The way to the Castle hadn't been too long, but to them it felt like ages. Cassandra had swiftly and sharply dodged the vampires to enter into the Castle, and Varian had followed her. They had just one tunnel to go through, and that was not a hard job for Cassandra who had spent most of her time training and running through the castle tunnels. She was thankful to her early training, because of which she could not only help herself get into the Castle through the tunnel, but also Varian. But the sudden voices and footsteps coming from around the corner caught her off guard, and she froze. Even before she knew it, she was pressed against the wall, and Varian reached down to her neck, and gently pressed his two fangs on her collarbone. At first, Cassandra thought that he was actually trying to bite and drink her blood, and tried to wriggle away from his grasp, but his had a strong grip on her, and she too stopped as soon as she realised that this was just an imitation and he was trying to save her. Moments after the vampires had passed by them, he looked up at her, and confused green eyes met the concerned blue eyes, and she could feel how his hands were resting on her waists, and how his body was pressed against her, and it felt too good. Too good to pull away.

As for Varian, he had partly feared that she would kill him outright for scaring her in order to save her, but he had no other choice. However, as he looked up at her, his inner conflicts faded, and all that he could see was her eyes, which were looking at him, and he was ready to drown in them. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned down, and pressing his lips against hers, compassionately kissed her. It was a pleasant surprise for him when she responded back, slowly running her hands over his chest, resting it on his shoulders, and giving it a gentle squeeze. He smoothly pulled her towards himself, holding her closer, his hands gripping her waist firmly, yet gently. Moments later he pulled away from her, albeit unwillingly, due to the lack of air between them. 

Cassandra looked away from him, and nervously biting her lips whispered, "We - we need to find your father soon. We don't have enough time." Putting her hand on his chest, she slowly pushed him back, and turning away from him, she went forward, without even casting a single glance at him.  
She hadn't been expecting her stomach to do flip - flops when he had kissed her, and sensing a sudden surge of whole new sort of feelings in her, she felt confused. Although she knew what these feelings entailed, thanks to Rapunzel's incessant chatter about her love for Eugene, she felt quite sceptical about it, and needed some time to process it. Thus she decided not to speak about it and keep this all to herself, as she had always done.

Varian looked at her in shock, but quietly accompanied her, mentally cursing himself for the state they were in currently. She had finally started to open up to him, see him as a friend, and he ruined everything in a matter of seconds. Oh, how he wished to go back in time and change everything, wanting to see that soft smile on her face when she looked at him, and to hear that quiet laugh when he had unsuccessfully tried to cover up his 'troubled relation' with his dad. And now, sickening silence reigned in the atmosphere. Then a thought hit him. Didn't Cassandra kiss him back? Why didn't she pull away if she was offended? He badly wanted to talk to her about it, and soon realised that he could no longer keep quiet. Taking a deep breath in, he called out to her, "Cassie, we need to talk."

Cassandra stilled in fear, completely sensing what he wanted to talk about. Not daring to look at him she turned her head to other side as he came near her. 

Varian didn't want to petrify her. Therefore, he decided to approach the issue as softly as possible. "Cassie, this doesn't look like something one should run away from."

Cassandra didn't speak. She knew that he was right, and she hated that fact. She badly wanted to tell him that she knew that this kiss was not just an adrenaline rush, and that there was something more to it, that it was something passionate. But unfortunately, she had never been been good in feelings. While she had a war going on between her head and heart, Varian spoke up.

Not receiving any reaction from her side, Varian decided that the best thing to do was to be honest and confess his love for her. He badly wanted her to know how much he loves her, and how much she means to him, and thus, without wasting another moment, he said, trying to sound braver than he was at the moment., "Cassie, I... I love you."

"What!?" She turned swiftly, looking at him with confusion written all over her face. She couldn't believe he just confessed, and this worsened her misery even more.

At that moment, Varian felt his mock brave demeanour ebbing away, but still, trying to hold to his words, he (tried) again, "I love you, Cassandra."

Cassandra was aghast. His sudden confession only made things worse for her. As much as wanted that to happen, she was too scared about her feelings to let him know anything. Deciding that the best thing she should do at the moment was to turn him away, she said, "Varian, it...it doesn't happen like that."

"What are you talking about?" He looked at her, heartbrokenly.

"Varian, you can't fall in love just like that! We... we recently met!" She looked at him again, a stoic expression on her face but thousands of negative emotions raging in her.

"But---" He tried again.

Cassandra shook her head, with determination, "No, Varian, It's not love, it's... it's just infatuation." And turned away from him, so that the tears that were threatening to spill out would not be noticed by him. 

Sighing sadly and dejectedly, Varian started to follow her receding figure. Why wouldn't she believe him when he told her that he loved her? Why had she dismissed his love for her as an infatuation, and taking it seriously. Was it because he was a vampire, and not a human? He recalled how she had earlier suggested that maybe the King had cut off ties with his sister because she had married a vampire instead of a human. Speaking of his mother, he started to remember the last few moments that he had spent with his mother by her bedside. Even in pain a small smile never left her face, and it always worked as a charm whenever Varian used to feel dejected. He remembered the time when she had told him how she felt an instant connection with his father the moment she had first seen him. And Varian knew that it was the same connection that he felt when he first saw Cassandra. He knew that she was his true love, but unfortunately, he couldn't do anything but accompany her with a sorrowful look.

********************

As Cassandra and Varian entered the throne room, they were greeted by the sight of a middle - aged man, pacing nervously in the middle of the room.  
"My dad." Varian whispered to her, despite the air of awkwardness that had been prevailing between them.  
"Dad!" Varian called out to him, coming forward, a nervous smile on his face. 

"Varian! Where have you been? I was so worried about you!" His tone had hints of nervousness and tension in them.

"I am fine, dad. I want you to meet someone." Varian said, stepping away, revealing Cassandra to him.

Quirin expression changed from nervousness to an inquisitive look, as he looked at Cassandra. He then turned to his son for more explanation.

"This is Cassandra, dad, and she is the daughter of the Captain of guards. She is here to help us in ending the curse."

"And why should we trust her?" Quirin asked, raising his eyebrows skeptically while looking at her. 

"Sir." Cassandra said, with notes of authority and respect in her voice, "Your Guild has attacked the Kingdom of Corona, and is bent upon destroying it by killing innocent people. You've no other option other than to trust me. We need to hurry up, there is not much time left for the sun to rise up." 

"And how far are you ready to go to save the everyone?"

"I am ready to cross all the limits, Sir."

Quirin looked at Cassandra, surprised. "You are saying that you are willing to end the curse, at any cost?"

"Yes, Sir." Cassandra lifted up her head proudly.

Takimg a deep breath in, Quirin said,"Cassandra, this curse is not a joke. And since you think that you are ready, I'll tell you the only way to end the curse. And it is a sacrifice. Sacrifice of your life, and nothing else will save us, and if you are willing, then so be it."

Cassandra's eyes widened, while Varian's breath hitched. Sacrifice of a life? And that too of Cassandra's? No, he can't let that happen. He decided to speak up, "What do you mean, dad? There is no other option but to sacrifice a life? It - It can't be true. There might be other a.ternatives too, you know."

"No Varian. There is no other alternative. Don't you think that if there had been, we would not have tried?"

Not believing his ears, Varian's looked from the dejected face of his father to the expressionless face of Cassandra, who, all that time had been mentally debating with herself on what to do. Although she didn't want to die, there was no other option left. If she sacrificed her life for the Corona, she would atleast achieve glory among the people and pride in her father's heart. Sighing, Cassandra looked at Quirin, "I will do it."

"Cassandra, what on the earth you think you are doing?" Varian looked at her in shock.

"Varian, I am sure enough about what I am going to do."

"Cassie please, think again." Varian's voice could be classified as nothing but desperate.

"I have already made a decision, Varian." Her voice was cold, "And I don't want you to come after me thinking that you'll be able to change my mind." Cassandra snapped, and turned away from him.

Varian could no longer take it, and he stormed out of the room, not stopping until he reached a corner. He flopped down, his body trembling with his sobs, and slowly, his shaky hands reached for his pocket, from where he took out a small paper, on which was a messy sketch of a woman, smiling softly. It was all that he had of his mother, and breaking down, he put it close to his heart. Oh, how much he craved for her presence! It wasn't like Quirin wasn't a good father. He was. He loved Varian, yes, but he rarely showed it. But sometimes, Quirin would be a bit harsh with him, and not the gentle kind which Varian needed, at least at that point of time. If his mother had been here, she would've taken him in her arms, and with a comforting hand on his back, would be stroking his back, trying to provide him all the comfort, love and warmth which always had emanated from her. Varian tried to remember those how that would've been feeling, but sadly, such touch and sensations were long forgotten. And that's when Varian realised that he would not be able to cope with death of a woman he loved so much. He decided that he will not let his Cassie sacrifice her life for the kingdom and the guild, and he knew how he would be able to save her.

*****************

Outside the castle gates :

Cassandra stood in front of a guillotine, her head held high, while the executioner was standing behind her. Another set of instructions, and then it would be the end. Cassandra wasn't afraid, no, she was proud. The only thing that she regretted was not being able to tell Varian what she truly felt. Speaking of Varian, he was no where to be seen. Where was he? Her desperate eyes were craving for one last look, but life never guarantees the fact that all wishes should be fulfilled. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the executioner's command, but before another word could've been spoken, a painfully familiar voice rang out.

"Stop!" 

Cassandra opened her eyes to find Varian looking at her, with determination on his face. Before she could react, he spoke again.

"She will not be executed!"

"Varian!" Cassandra said, looking at him, "I think I told you to leave me alone."

"No Cassie. I can't just sit here and watch you die. Maybe you don't love me, maybe you think that my love for you is just an infatuation, but that does not undermine my love for you in any way. I love you, Cassandra. And I want to prove to you that my love for you has no limits." 

Cassandra thought that this was the only moment left for her to tell him the truth and that how much she loved him, but before she could say anything, He spoke up again.

"I, by the faith and power of moonstone, propose my life for you!"

Cassandra stunned, as the words hung in air between them.

The executioner turned her away, while Cassandra's stray gaze never leaving his determined one. She wasn't able to speak, and as she came into her senses, all that she could see was Varian bending down, positioning his head directly under the blade, and the executioner released the blade. 

"NOOOO!!!" Cassandra fell down to her knees, as a painful realisation hit her. 

She never told him that she loved him back, and she would have to live the rest of her life with that.


	4. Day of Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of hearts, and almost no good guard is available to guard the cell of the most dangerous criminal in the whole of Corona, except the Captain of guards herself. How do you think this is going to turn out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU where Varian didn't get his redemption, is still in a prison (a special prison which is faraway from others, and is quite secluded). Cassandra didn't turn evil, and she along with Rapunzel, Eugene, Lance and others are back in Corona, after solving the mystery of black rocks, living happily ever after. She has also been appointed as the Captain of guards by her father, finally gaining his trust. She thinks that she got everything she ever wanted, or, did she? Isn't there a certain alchemist, who is still in a deep, dark place?
> 
> (Takes places after six years from the first season, and Rapunzel is now the Queen of Corona.)
> 
> WARNING : RATED NC - 17 FOR VERY EXPLICIT SEXUAL SITUATIONS.

Cassandra didn't know what she was feeling as she took out the key to open the main gate leading to his cell. Her hands were shaking, and her heart was beating too loudly. There was a whirlpool of emotions inside her, and she wasn't able to clearly make out whether it was a good thing or not. Upon opening the gate, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath and as she walked forward she felt a growing anticipation in her stomach, a tingle of fear, nervousness and excitement. Maybe, she shouldn't be here, this was getting harder than she had imagined.

The night before :

The brows of the former Captain of guards furrowed as he took in the news of his daughter guarding the prison cell of the boy who had, six years ago : broke into the castle, kidnapped the Queen, turned his faithful pet into a monster, whose blow had injured him for some time, but most importantly, he had squeezed his dear girl almost to death. Although he was proud of his daughter who had taken up his former post, and was doing her job well, that didn't give him any reason to be happy when his daughter informed him that she had to guard the prison cell of the most dangerous criminal in the whole of Corona.  
"You are saying that no one else is available to do the job?" He asked, his deep voice laced with concern.  
"Yes." Cassandra said, looking up at him. "Trust me, dad, I'll be fine.", Cassandra said, sighing. "I think Rapunzel asked for you."  
"What about Stan and Pete?" The captain surely wasnt going to leave anytime soon.  
"Stan and Pete have their better halves to attend to, and we cant trust some other guard with him." Cassandra said, a bit annoyed. She understood that her father was a bit afraid for her, but wasn't this what she had signed up for? Plus, how bad can it go with a former friend - turned - dangerous criminal who had almost broken her ribs and is now behind the bars? The thought made her practically wince and curse under her breath.  
"Did you say something?" His brows furrowed more.  
"No... no, I didn't," She immediately backtracked, and putting her hand on his father's shoulders, gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine dad, really. Trust me."  
The former Captain took a deep breath, as if trying his best calm the raging storm inside him, and then, looked at his daughter, smiling a little, "Sometimes, I just see the little girl I remember, and not the young woman you've grown into." With that, he left her office, and Cassandra heaved a sigh of relief.

Maybe, her father was right, and she was still a little girl? Shaking her head, Cassandra drove out such thoughts from her mind. She was the Captain of Guards, fearless and brave. Such a trifle shouldn't bother her.  
As she approached his cell, however, she was definitely shocked, as she saw a figure huddled up in a corner, his head pressed to his knees, and she gave out a soft, sharp gasp, loud enough to make him aware of her presence.  
She had heard from the conversations between Stan and Pete that he didn't eat anything on the anniversary date of the storm, and sometimes, in the corridor to the council room, she could hear him screaming for help.  
He looked up, staring at her direction, his blue eyes, which was once filled with brightness and adoration, was now pale, lifeless and emotionless. Soon the confusion from his face melted away, and it was now replaced by a smirk, which was definitely not liked by Cassandra. She had heard that he refused to est "Finally, milady decided to grace us with her presence!" He held out his hands in mock gesture, as he sneered at her, "You finally got that guard assignment, huh? Took you this long to convince him? Really Cassie, you upset me." He said, looking down and mockingly shaking his head sadly. 

Cassandra gritted her teeth and all the sympathy that she felt for him instantly faded away. She turned her back to him, and quietly said, "First of all, don't call me Cassie. You don't deserve to. And second, at least I proved something to my father, but what about you?" As soon as the words escaped her, she instantly regretted it. His hot breath tingled down her skin, and before she could make out the amount of time it had taken for him to reach her, his hands grasped the back of her neck as he pulled her towards himself. 

"How thin were his hands that they could pass through the gaps between the bars of the prison cells?" She wondered.

"He would have been proud of me if it hadn't been for that silly princess of yours who betrayed me." He whispered in her ear. 

Cassandra felt a slight tingle of excitement in her lower abdomen, gasping softly, as his nails dug further into her neck. She could hear him smirk, as he brought his face closer to the bars, near her ears, and whispered softly, "What is it, Cassie? Are you turned on?"

Cassandra closed her eyes, as his hot breath burned her sensitive neck, and she gasped again, softly. Suddenly, he let go of her, but Cassandra didn't move, too stunned to take note of the situation she was in now.

"You want it, Cassie, dont you?" He growled in her ear, and Cassandra closed her eyes to calm down her racing heart, but to no avail. "Come on, Cassie. There has always been a thin line between desire and commitment. Tell me, are you willing to cross that line? " 

Cassandra shuddered, as she desperately tried to calm herself down, but to no avail. She had a duty, she couldn't lose herself like that. But the pressure was too much, and before she could think of anything else, he grabbed her neck once again, and whispered, "Just give into me, Cass. Tonight, there's no one, and nothing that binds us. We can have all the fun we want." 

No longer able to think sanely, Cassandra broke out free from his grasp, turned around and with hands which were still shaking due to the sensation, inserted the keys into the lock and opened the cell door. Grabbing him by the collar, she pressed her lips roughly upon him, taking Varian by surprise. His eyes widened, but soon, he began responding to her, and grabbing her wrists, pinned her against the wall. The kiss grew heated in seconds, as Varian pressed his body against hers, and Cassandra could feel his hardened dick against her crotch. It turned her on like anything else, and as he bit her bottom lip, she gave out a soft moan, opening her mouth. He slid his tongue inside, and as their tongue collided, and they moved in sync, together as if they had always known each other. Her hands roamed all over his chest, but then it came to rest upon his shoulder, her nails digging into his shoulders, as if desperately clutching it for support in order to save herself from drowning further into that sensation. But it was not possible, and her hold on him became tighter and tighter. Varian groaned out between the kisses as her nails digged deeper into his shoulders. It was painful, but highly arousing and exciting. Soon, they had to break away from each other for the need of air, and Cassandra's hold on him loosened. 

Varian looked at her, but something on her chest caught his eyes. Not believing his eyes and wanting to take a better look at it, he stripped of her armour, and saw the very familiar necklace hanging around her neck. "Cassandrium?" Raising his eyebrows, he looked at her. But it seemed like Cassandra was no longer able access the situation around her, her eyes half lidded as her breaths came out in pants. Pulling him closer, she kissed him again, this time much more passionate, and Varian cupped her face in his hands. 

But soon, he pulled away from her, stripping himself of his clothes, and smirking, bent down, pulling out the dagger her boots. Cassandra's eyes widened as she looked at the dagger in his hands. Scared, she tried to get away from him, but there was no space for her to get away from him. "Sit down." He muttered, pointing to the bunk near her. His voice was husky and dangerous, and without asking any further questions, Cassandra sat down. Varian looked at her and smirking mischievously, came closer, holding the dagger in his hands. Cassandra gulped as he pressed the dagger near her neck. "Dont worry Cassie." He smirked. "I love you too much to hurt you." And slowly, he trailed the dagger down her chest, smirking as he felt her body tensing and her breath hitching. With a single sharp but careful move, he slit her tunic into halves, making her gasp from the sudden sensation. "God." Varian whispered, as he looked at her. She was in front of him, so beautiful, and a part of him wondered whether doing it in this was the right thing or not. However, her gasp pulled him out of his stupor, and at that moment he knew that except her moans, gasps, and she herself, he didn't want anything else. He again brought the knife to her chest, digging it into her skin gently, and dragged it down, making her moan and shudder. 

"Va...Varian." She gasped as she knelt back on her elbows, the atmosphere around them becoming too intense and suffocating. Varian groaned at the way her voice sounded, there was something sensuous and stimulating in it, making it harder for him to resist her. He threw away the dagger, which caused a loud clang, but none of them seemed to mind. He pinned her down and started rubbing his hardened dick over her crotch as his lips fell upon her neck, biting the pale skin until it was reddish and then licking it, trying to cool off that burning sensation. His hands came to rest upon her breast, squeezing it, his fingers brushing over the hardened nipple. Cassandra was no longer able to register what was happening, except for those bites and his stimulation. It felt good, no wonder, but she wanted more she wanted him inside of her. 

"Va - Varian" She muttered. "Please."

He sat up, smirking slightly as he looked at her. "What is it, Cassie? Do you want something?"

"Varian... please." She moaned, looking at him.

"You need to use the words, Cassie."

"I - I want you."

"Where, Cassie?"

"Inside me." She managed.

"Good girl." He said as he slid down her pants and underwear, "Mmm... Cassie, so wet." 

Cassandra blushed at his voice, but soon gave out a groan and threw her head back as he entered her. It was heaven, that was the only word she could use to describe that sensation inside her. "Faster." She whispered, and Varian did, his brain itself turning to mush. 

*****************

Varian looked at the sleeping figure of Cassandra in his arms. Pressing a gentle kiss on her forehead, he groaned frustratedly. His mind was having a war with his heart, and he couldn't decide what to do. On the one hand, Cassandra was in his arms, sleeping, and the prison cell was open. He could just get dressed and be gone, leaving Cassandra to face the consequences of her actions. One the other hand, Cassandra was in his arms. Varian sighed, as he pressed another kiss, this time on her cheek. "What have you done, Cassie?" He whispered, pulling her closer to himself, snuggling into her hair, and stroking the Cassandrium which was still there absentmindedly, as he gazed out of the small window in the prison cell. The lanterns were now floating up, now illuminating the always dark cell. "They say that if guess spend your Day of Hearts in the arms of your loved one, then you two are destined to be together. Am I that lucky, Cassie?" He whispered, snuggling closer to her as he fell asleep against her.


End file.
